Can’t say that I’m surprised:
After saying he had “no reason to oppose” legislation recognizing same-sex marriage at the federal level, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson now says he may not vote in favor of the measure, according to a new report.
“I've never said I would support it," the Oshkosh Republican reportedly told Axios. "I said I didn't see a reason to oppose it."
Besides voting for or against the bill, Johnson can also vote "present" or not show up to vote.
Johnson's comments came as senators consider amending the bill to provide "more clarity that the legislation would not take away any religious liberty or conscience protections," U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin's office told Axios.
The bill would need 60 votes to clear the U.S. Senate, and the chamber is equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. One of the bill's conservative supporters, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told Axios he didn't think the U.S. Senate could pass the measure in its current form.
"You can never trust @SenRonJohnson," U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Black Earth, said on Twitter. "He plays games by supporting things and then opposing, playing semantical games and in general, representing the most extreme elements of his party as well as the wealthy and special interests."
The bill would require the federal government to recognize marriages that are valid in the state where it was performed. The measure would also repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman and allowed states to ban same-sex marriages. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down that law, which was signed in 1996 by Democratic President Bill Clinton, but it remains on the books.
Here’s what Johnson said two weeks ago:
In his statement, Johnson referenced the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015.
"Prior to the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, I supported civil unions," Johnson said in the statement. " After Obergefell, I considered the issue settled.
"Unlike Roe v. Wade, I do not see any scenario in which the Supreme Court would overturn Obergefell. The Respect for Marriage Act is another example of Democrats creating a state of fear over an issue in order to further divide Americans for their political benefit. Even though I feel the Respect for Marriage Act is unnecessary, should it come before the Senate, I see no reason to oppose it."
Then came the homophobic social conservatives Johnson managed to piss off:
A Madison-based conservative social issues group urged its members to call the office of Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson after he signaled support for a bill to codify same-sex marriage.
In an email sent July 21, Wisconsin Family Action called the Respect for Marriage Act a "dangerous" bill and said of Johnson, "we need to convince him to vote no."
"It's a direct threat to religious freedom," Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
As he faces a tough reelection fight in November, Johnson recently made two significant pronouncements on social issues — same-sex marriage as well as abortion.
Johnson said he wouldn't oppose the Respect for Marriage Act — which passed the House — if it comes up for a vote in the U.S. Senate, even though he said the bill was unnecessary.
Democrats have sought to codify same-sex and interracial marriage in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's reversal last month of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision protecting abortion rights.
In its email, Wisconsin Family Action asserted same-sex marriage is "not settled law" and that the bill could result in the federal government recognizing "as valid any marriage recognized as valid by a state, including polygamy." It also raised objections on religious grounds.
Appling was among those who led the effort in 2006 to pass a constitutional amendment in Wisconsin banning same-sex marriage and civil unions. In 2014, a federal judge overturned the ban.
Yeah, he's a cowardly asshole. Also, he just has to be an asshole about this too:
“There’s nothing wrong with a representative of the U.S. Government going to Taiwan,” Johnson, R-Oshkosh, said in a statement.
“That said, Speaker Pelosi’s trip was bungled from the start. She and President (Joe) Biden — members of the same political party — should have reached agreement on the trip and then not disclosed it so far in advance. They gave China time to develop its provocative and unjustified response, and unnecessarily created an international incident. Just plain stupid.”
With her Tuesday arrival, Pelosi became the highest-level American official to visit Taiwan in over two decades.
Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Communists won a civil war on the mainland. The U.S. maintains informal relations and defense ties with Taiwan even as it recognizes Beijing as the government of China.
Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island’s decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step U.S. leaders say they don’t support.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he backed Pelosi’s visit as a display of support for Taiwan’s democracy and said any allegations that her itinerary was provocative are “utterly absurd.” McConnell joined 25 other Republican senators Tuesday to publicly support Pelosi’s trip in a statement. Johnson was not one of those senators.
Meanwhile, Johnson has given his given Democrats a new attack against him:
Democrats in Congress and at the White House on Wednesday highlighted the remarks by Johnson, the only Republican running for re-election this year in a state won by President Joe Biden. He’s widely seen as the most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the midterm elections.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Johnson “wants to put Medicare and Social Security on the chopping block. He has argued that the benefits which millions of Americans rely on every day shouldn’t be guaranteed.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre cited Johnson using the same “chopping block” language at the daily White House briefing.
Both programs are aimed primarily at older Americans, who historically vote in higher proportions than other groups. The Social Security program, which provides monthly payments to retirees, in particular has been referred to as a “third rail” in US politics: touching it is likely to be politically fatal.
And his opponent:
In his response, Barnes said the Trump-supporting Republican incumbent "wants to strip working people of the Social Security and Medicare they've earned. Wisconsinites pay into Social Security through a lifetime of hard work, and they're counting on this program and Medicare—but Ron Johnson just doesn't care."
Barnes, who currently serves as Wisconsin's Lt. Governor, was far from the only critic to pounce on Johnson's remarks.
"Johnson wants to END the Social Security and Medicare guarantee," said the advocacy group Social Security Works on social media. "This would be a disaster for seniors and people with disabilities in Wisconsin and across the country."
It's not the first time Johnson has attacked Social Security. Just last year, he called the program a "Ponzi scheme" and has variously supported legislation that would raise the retirement age for seniors and backed other GOP proposals to increase out-of-pocket spending by Medicare beneficiaries.
In a statement, Philip Shulman, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said, "Ron Johnson has made clear he would cut Social Security and Medicare despite the devastating impact it would have on older Wisconsinites. During his years in D.C., Johnson has lost touch with Wisconsinites and voters will hold him accountable in November."
First things first, let’s demand Senate Majority Leader Schumer bring the Respect for Marriage Act up for a vote. Click here to contact your Senator to demand a vote on the bill.
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